Schneeberger claims Roundup title

In his 17-year career, Jerome Schneeberger has earned more than $1.5 million on the rodeo trail.

He's an 11-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the 2001 NFR tie-down roping average champion. He's won most of the biggest rodeos in the sport and has been crowned the Prairie Circuit champion numerous times.

Now just days shy of his 37th birthday, the Ponca City cowboy has a much different focus in life than burning the miles and chasing gold buckle dreams down the rodeo trail.

"I'm not interested in going that hard, trying to make the finals," Schneeberger said. "I'm not rodeoing near as much at all. I've been there, done that. I was actually entered everywhere and was going to try to make the finals again, but then I thought about it. I just thought I'd stay home and enjoy it."

He has another job now, and focuses on competing in the Prairie Circuit, made up of contestants and rodeos in Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. On Sunday night, he made a big move to winning another regional title by staking claim to another Dodge City Roundup Rodeo title, pocketing $6,727 in the process and moving toward the top spot in the circuit standings.

For a part-time cowboy, that's pretty good.

"There's just so much expense that goes into it when you try to make the finals," he said, noting that of the money he's earned in his storied career, most of it went back toward the cost of traveling, paying entry fees and other things that come with it – in rodeo, the only way a contestant is paid is if he or she is better than the rest of the field. "I decided I'd just stay at home and take that guaranteed paycheck."

Schneeberger won the opening go-round, then finished in a tie for second place in the championship round on Sunday. His cumulative time of 26.9 seconds on three runs earned him his second Roundup title in four years.

"I like this arena," he said. "It's always been good to me."

Bull riders Trevor Kastner and Clayton Foltyn will be saying that after their few days in the southwest Kansas community. Foltyn posted the highest marked ride of the rodeo with a 94-point ride Sunday on the bull Rustler's Paradise from 4L & Diamond S Rodeo. That moved him up in the average with a two-ride cumulative score of 180 points, sharing the Roundup title with Kastner, who won the first round with a 90-point ride Saturday; he then posted an 89 on Frontier Rodeo's Centerfield on Sunday.

"This is pretty big for me because this is a pretty well-known rodeo, plus it helps for the circuit, too," said Kastner, a two-time NFR qualifier from Ardmore, Okla. "This is also a tour rodeo with a bonus at the end of the season, so that helps, too."

Page 2 of 4 - This season marked the second time in Foltyn's career that he's earned a trip to the final round in Dodge City – the first time, he came away with a season-ending injury, but this one worked out much better; he earned $4,837, while Kastner pocketed $5,551.

"This is a great rodeo to win," said Foltyn, a two-time NFR qualifier from El Campo, Texas. "I've been coming here for a long time, and this is the best I've done."

Of the 11 bull riders in the short round, six had qualified rides, including two in the 90s – Foltyn's 94 and a 92 from runner-up Chris Roundy of Spanish Fork, Utah. They weren't the only explosive scores on the final night of the 2013 rodeo.

Cody Wright won the final round and the average championship in the saddle bronc riding after scoring a 91-point ride on Frontier Rodeo's Top Gun, while brother Jesse scored 90 on Harry Vold Rodeo's Happy Valley to finish second Sunday – Jesse, the reigning world champ, jumped from ninth to third because of the score.

"Anytime you can start winning, especially at a big rodeo and a tour rodeo so that you can stay in the race, it's great because there are so many great bronc riders out there," Cody Wright said. "They all ride great. Anytime you can be right there with them, it's great."

But that's what happens when ProRodeo's elite perform at venues like Roundup Arena.